Markets Open Lower as Investors Take Profits

On the upside 

Shares of Perot Systems (NYSE: PER) soared after Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) offered $3.9 billion in cash to buy the information technology services company.

VeriChip Corporation (Nasdaq: CHIP) locked down an exclusive license to two patents to track viruses.

An analyst upgraded Zimmer Holdings (NYSE: ZMH), a maker of bone and dental implants and equipment.

On the downside

Lennar (NYSE: LEN) posted a wider 3rd quarter loss on lower revenues.  The Florida-based home builder wrote down the value of land and unsold homes.

Delta Petroleum (Nasdaq: DPTR) revealed that gas volumes at its Columbia River Basin site may be substantially below expectations.

Investors sold off on the fertilizer sector.  Shares of Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (NYSE: POT) and The Mosaic Company (NYSE: MOS) fell sharply.

In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of more than 3 to 1 on the NYSE and by a margin of nearly 2 to 1 on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks fell 4 points to 613.